Reference
A History of South India
The classic survey of the south, from prehistory to the fall of Vijayanagara.
Tripartite Struggle
c. 750 CE – c. 1000
Map layer: Rival Empires
Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas contest Kannauj for two centuries.
Main polities of this period
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gurjara-Pratihara Empire ★ | Empire | c. 730 CE – c. 1036 | North | Kannauj (from c. 816) |
| Pala Empire ★ | Empire | c. 750 CE – c. 1161 | East | Gauda / Pataliputra / Monghyr |
| Rashtrakuta Empire ★ | Empire | c. 753 CE – c. 982 CE | Deccan | Manyakheta |
| Umayyad Caliphate — Sindh province | Caliphate province | c. 712 CE – c. 750 CE | Northwest | Aror / Mansura |
| Abbasid Caliphate — Sindh province | Caliphate province | c. 750 CE – c. 854 CE | Northwest | Mansura |
| Thakuri Kingdom of Nepal | Kingdom | c. 750 CE – 1200 | Himalaya | Kathmandu valley |
| Hindu Shahis | Dynasty | c. 822 CE – c. 1026 | Northwest | Udabhandapura (Hund) |
| Habbarid Emirate | Dynasty | c. 854 CE – c. 1011 | Northwest | Mansura |
| Utpala Dynasty of Kashmir | Dynasty | c. 855 CE – c. 1003 | North | Avantipura |
| Emirate of Multan | Dynasty | c. 855 CE – c. 1010 | Northwest | Multan |
Also existing during this period
Kalachuris of Tripuri
Central · c. 675 CE – 1212
Paramara Dynasty
Central · c. 800 CE – 1305
Chandela Dynasty
Central · c. 831 CE – 1315
Chalukyas of Badami
Deccan · c. 543 CE – c. 753 CE
Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi
Deccan · c. 624 CE – c. 1075
Western Chalukyas of Kalyani
Deccan · c. 973 CE – c. 1189
Later Guptas of Magadha
East · c. 490 CE – c. 750 CE
Licchavi Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · c. 400 CE – c. 750 CE
Karkota Dynasty of Kashmir
North · c. 625 CE – c. 855 CE
Tomaras of Delhi
North · c. 736 CE – c. 1152
Kamarupa
Northeast · c. 350 CE – c. 1140
Turk Shahis
Northwest · c. 665 CE – c. 822 CE
Ghaznavid Empire
Northwest · c. 977 CE – c. 1186
Pallava Dynasty
South · c. 275 CE – c. 897 CE
Western Ganga Dynasty
South · c. 350 CE – c. 1000
Pandya Kingdom (First Empire)
South · c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE
Chera Perumals of Makotai
South · c. 800 CE – c. 1124
Chola Empire
South · c. 848 CE – 1279
Anuradhapura Kingdom
Sri Lanka · c. 437 BCE – c. 1017
Maitraka Dynasty
West · c. 475 CE – c. 776 CE
Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Shakambhari
West · c. 650 CE – c. 1194
Guhilas of Medapata
West · c. 728 CE – 1303
Chaulukyas (Solankis) of Gujarat
West · c. 940 CE – 1244
Events
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| c. 750 CE | Gopala elected king in Bengal | Pala Empire |
| c. 753 CE | Dantidurga founds Rashtrakuta power | Rashtrakuta Empire |
| c. 757 CE | Kailasa temple, Ellora begun | Rashtrakuta Empire |
| c. 788 CE | Adi Shankaracharya born (traditional) | |
| c. 800 CE | Vikramashila university founded | Pala Empire |
| c. 816 CE | Nagabhata II captures Kannauj Kannauj became the Pratihara capital. |
Gurjara-Pratihara Empire |
| c. 850 CE | Amoghavarsha's Kavirajamarga | Rashtrakuta Empire |
| 879 CE | Nepal Samvat era begins | Thakuri Kingdom of Nepal |
| c. 916 CE | Indra III sacks Kannauj The Pratiharas were temporarily driven out of Kannauj. |
Rashtrakuta Empire |
| 949 CE | Battle of Takkolam The Rashtrakutas defeated the Cholas and occupied Tondaimandalam. |
Rashtrakuta Empire |
| 973 CE | Tailapa II overthrows the Rashtrakutas The Western Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani was founded. |
Western Chalukyas of Kalyani |
| 985 CE | Rajaraja I becomes Chola king | Chola Empire |
| c. 993 CE | Chola invasion of Sri Lanka Anuradhapura was sacked and the Sinhalese capital abandoned. |
Chola Empire |
| 1000 | Mahmud of Ghazni begins his raids on India About seventeen raids followed over 25 years. |
Ghaznavid Empire |
📚 Recommended reading for this era
Reference
A History of Nepal
A concise, reliable history of Nepal from the Gorkha unification to the republic.
Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
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